SECTOR
HEALTHCARE
/ inter-room shading
/ in-room privacy
/ black-out shading
/ antibacterial fabrics
/ dis-infectable fabrics
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The entire health care system is under great pressure to reduce cost but at the same time, the design of healthcare facilities is governed by countless regulations and technical requirements. A health facility’s architecture is often recognized as an important tool in attracting the best doctors and nurses, the most successful HMOs and compelling insurance plans. In other words, an impressive building is a key indicator of the perceived quality of care. That includes daylighting and shading. The list of requirements, often contradictory, is growing exponentially.
A hospital environment is all about safety, non-toxic materials and most importantly about sustainable operations and maintenance. At the same time, patients and staff expect their surroundings to feel friendly and inviting, abundant in natural materials and full of natural light. The Sunprotection Group has a lot of experience in hospital installations. We are very familiar with the sector specifics; inter-room shading, in-room privacy, blackout needs for diagnostic suites as well as the need for antibacterial and disinfectable fabrics. We encourage you to reach out to us; an early consultation with SPG will go a long way.
RECREATIONAL
/ antimicrobial
/ easy maintenance
/ acoustics
/ dynamic ambiance
/ glare issues
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“Atmosphere – it’s of the utmost importance, says one restaurant owner. “The lighting has to be right. We dim the lights as the night goes on.” “If night falls early, we dim the lights early. In the summer, we dim throughout the night to match the light outside,” says a manager. Ambiance, aside from the quality of food and service is a fundamental element of success or failure in the life of a restaurant. Restaurants with a large fenestration surface are facing a barrage of requirements and challenges in relation to shading and daylighting. Extreme range. Restaurant management has to be able to switch mood / ambiance on command, while reacting to weather and the particular season of the year.
We at SPG, have a lot of expertise in the hospitality sector. This is the ultimate testing ground for lighting and shading dynamics; a constant need for soft, natural, intimate, soothing and caressing light that delivers a strong sense of well-being and security. And, then…the more pragmatic side of the coin: the need for antimicrobial fabrics. Materials that can sustain a lot of cleaning. Let’s admit, we are in a restaurant; a revolving door of perspiration and breeding pool of food odors. Sorry, one additional challenge: acoustics! We can manage that as well; with our sound-guard shading systems. Give us a call. We are ready to help.
OFFICE
/ toxicity in air
/ green fabrics
/ integrated design
/ glare issues
/ natural light
/ energy saving
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Office buildings are one of the great icons of the twenty-first century. They are the most visible index of economic activity, of social, technological and financial progress. About 50 % of the world’s working population is employed in office settings and, on average, people spend 8-10 hours per day in this environment. What are the important criteria of an exemplary office work space? For the workers, it is the indoor air quality and usage of non-toxic and low-polluting materials. For owners and operators: enhanced energy and environmental performance.
Shading and daylighting can make a tremendous impact on an office building’s performance. In order to accomplish this impact, the buildings must benefit from an integrated design approach that focuses on meeting every objective on the requirements’ list. At SPG, we can address every single one of them and it goes without saying: we have an unrivaled record of office space shading experience. What are the typical challenges? A balancing act between sun-generated heat, glare issues (South-West exposure), preference for natural light, reflections from adjacent buildings, computer screen orientation…and many more. The key challenge…toxic particles in the air. Cheaper PVC-based fabrics can release an incessant stream of toxic fumes and particles, and the longer the life span of the fabric, the stronger the smell. Our ecoTex fabric series addresses this prevalent nuisance right off the bat. Made from 100% PES Trevira polyester yarn, they are the latest evolutionary step in green fabric production, free of pollutants, allergens and halogens.
EDUCATION
/ young organisms
/ non-toxic fabrics
/ black-out fabrics
/ daylighting
/ safety
/ abuse resistant hardware
/ energy savings
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If there is a ranking for the most conflicting shading requirements category, schools will take the top. And, the rate of change in this sector is close to exponential. The growth of computer-based instruction, video projection, and other telecommunications requirements is causing us to rethink traditional educational patterns and spatial relationships. Example: we need as much natural light as possible combined with “on command” full blackout. From an environmental perspective, concerns for the health and well-being of students, particularly young students, are increasing dramatically, because many of them spend up to 12,500 hours in a child development center: most of their waking hours. The facility must be designed to provide safe, nurturing, and stimulating environments essential for the healthy development of children. Strategies including daylighting and the specification of sustainable and non-toxic materials are a must in school design.
We at SPG have installed an impressive number of school installations, from kindergartens to university buildings and campuses. From our own experience, let’s add a few more requirements for contemporary school shading: safe, durable and abuse-resistant! A school is a tough and challenging place. Call us for an early consultation.
RESIDENTIAL
/ high esthetics
/ non-toxic fabrics
/ integrated systems
/ low voltage, high voltage
/ loggias, pergolas
/ energy savings
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High-end residential daylighting and shading applications are as varied as an architect’s imagination. In other words…endless. Residential structures offer an abundance of opportunities to combine interior and exterior shading systems. They also offer a unique chance to add adjacent structures such as loggias and pergolas and offer an endless possibility to work with sophisticated combinations of specialty fabrics, sensors and integrated motorized systems. All our (SPG) systems are available in wired or remotely controlled configuration and, for an ultimate experience in home automation, we can install a fully integrated, state-of-the-art intelligent system featuring off-site control of blinds, lights and thermostats, the ultimate combination of energy savings, security and safety. For families, we not only provide safety devices on all chain operated shades, we are also continuously developing alternative systems to conform to and exceed government regulations.
Outdoors-indoors
Many homeowners want to enjoy their outdoor space as much as possible, for as long as possible - without insects, of course! A motorized Exterior Insect or SunScreen shading system offers a very effective protection barrier against mosquitos, black flies, deer flies, bees and wasps. Moreover, with the use of outdoor heaters, homeowners can enjoy their extended living space even in the depth of winter.
Health first
Do you know that more than 55% of shading fabrics currently being specified by expert consultants still contain the harmful combination of PVC and Fiberglass? 95% of the expert consultants we contacted did not know that more than half of mainstream shades on the market release micro glass-shards into the air. However, our manufacturing and fabric cutting equipment provides a high level of care when using these types of fabrics. In addition, our healthy eco-certified textiles, which contain zero harmful or toxic substances, are only slightly pricier than their less healthy counterparts. We carry quite an assortment of ecoTex skin-safe fabrics; no toxins whatsoever. Check our fabric menu or contact us for more information.
